A short time ago, the decided that the Trump administration can send thousands of people home to their native countries. Actually, we’re talking more than . Those potentially affected include , about 6,000 Syrians, and 50,000 Ukrainians. The high court ruled the administration can end what’s called the Temporary Protected Status program, or TPS.
What we’re watching is a Republican president destroying a legacy program created by a Republican president.
President signed TPS into law as a part of the Immigration Act of 1990 after a bipartisan Congress overwhelmingly approved the measure. Only eight senators voted against the bill. Louisiana’s Democratic U.S. Sens. voted yes. U.S. Reps. Richard Baker, Bob Livingston and Jim McCrery, all Republicans.
In 2026, with the help of the high court, President Donald Trump said it’s time for our nation of immigrants to get rid of as many of them as we can, in part by ending TPS.
With a 6-3 vote, the Supremes said the Trump administration can do away with a core part of the law that has provided protections for many for decades. About 10 countries had TPS protections expire or been terminated from the early 1990s and the late 2000s.
Now we have another round of terminations. Haitians, Syrians and others in Louisiana and elsewhere are concerned. The ruling has terminated TPS for them. There is a little breathing space. Work permits have been extended, but only until July 24.
That’s not much time.
Lower courts have to rush to comply with the new policy. Meanwhile, Congress is considering overturning the ruling with bills that would return TPS consideration to the judiciary, away from Homeland Security. One would extend TPS to 2029 for Haitians.
But in Florida, where 50% of the nation’s Haitian population live, there is widespread confusion. Massachusetts and New York have a good number of Haitians as well. There are as many as 5,000 Haitians in Louisiana, most of them living in the greater New Orleans area. I don’t know how many have had their lives changed by this ruling. I do know that Louisianans who are Haitian or Haitian Americans are concerned.
Times-Picayune columnist Will Sutton on Thursday, September 12, 2019.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Al Granholtm, a New Orleans-based mediator, justice advocate and Haiti commentator, is the son of Haitian immigrants. He was born in Boston, and he’s lived in New Orleans for about 20 years. A criminal defense lawyer, he’s active in Haitian circles. He remembers the devastating that hit Haiti in 2010, which then had about 50 aftershocks of 4.5 or more. At least 100,000 people died. Some estimates say about 300,000 died. TPS helped a lot of people bounce back.
When he heard about the ruling, he said he was “a little ticked off.” He knows Haitians here, in Ohio and in North Carolina affected by the ruling. No doubt, he said, some Haitians will return to a poor nation that doesn’t have the economy, the infrastructure and the jobs to match what they’ve had here.
Attorney Al Granholt, a New Orleans resident of around 20 years, after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
New Orleans has a rich Haitian history. As the French Revolution ended in the early 1800s, about 10,000 Haitians fled to Louisiana. They doubled the population of New Orleans. Like Haiti, New Orleans has Catholic, Creole and French roots. Haitians brought their versions of gumbo and jambalaya.
I have some Creole and Haitian roots, and I cannot imagine what New Orleans might be like without that part of my culture.
I don’t expect New Orleans to change drastically in two or three years if Trump and anti-immigrant forces keep moving in this direction, but I worry that the Catholic, Creole and French culture will be further diminished without so many of our Haitian brothers and sisters.
Trump has a strong immigration background and immigrant family connections. His mother was born in Scotland. One of his former wives was born in Czechoslovakia. First lady Melania Trump was born in Slovenia.
Referencing Haitians and Africans, the president famously asked, “Why are we having all these people from s*** hole countries come here?” He said he wanted more people from Norway and other European countries.
For the most part, we are a nation of immigrants. Indigenous people were already here when the founders of the nation and others arrived here. Most people of African descent were forced to come.
This isn’t something we have to take. We can look up the , weigh in to strike executive power to do this in favor of acts of the U.S. Congress being the only way TPS can be designated.
We can find another way forward. We can give Haitians, Syrians and others more time and give them paths forward to keep, or get, work permits and to get citizenship, if that’s what they desire.